What about Witches

Witches Today

Of course, Salem has become known as The Witch City!
The Salem
Witch Museum , the Witch Dungeon Museum
and The Witch History Museum take you back in history to 1692, yet, present-day popularization
of the witchcraft hysteria doesn't reveal anything about the large number of modern
Witches living in Salem today.

The Salem Witch Village, where people can learn the facts about Witchcraft, is highly
recommended by many members of the Salem Craft Community. The goal is to promote
religious tolerance and participation in a positive society that encourages growth
and acceptance of all its people.

Several Salem groups have been active, in recent years, in educating people about Witchcraft:

W.E.B., the Witches Education Bureau's current director is Ms. Teri Kalgren of Salem.
W.E.B also has a branch in the NJ/Philadelphia area. If you are writing about
school or academic projects, we're happy to provide information if you enclose
a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope. For information, write to W.E.B.,
P.O. Box 872, Salem, MA 01970, phone 978-745-0065, or contact
Teri@ArtemisiaBotanicals.com.

P.R.A.N.C.E.,
The Pagan Resource and Network Council of Educators, headed by Salem Witches,
Tony and Marie Guerriero, founders of P.R.A.N.C.E., ordained in September
1997. For more information, write to P.R.A.N.C.E., Tony and Marie Guerriero, 25
Cross Street, Salem, MA 01970 or e-mail at prancesalem@aol.com.

P.R.A.N.C.E. was instrumental in
the reconstruction of the Salem Witch Village and W.E.B. has been publicly
proactive (along with members of P.R.A.N.C.E.) by hosting the "Witches' Hospitality
Tent" every year on Salem Common during Salem's Haunted Happenings, giving
Pagan/Wiccan tourists information on Salem and a warm welcome to the city.

P.R.A.N.C.E. is active in the community by hosting circles for Sabbats at the
Salem Witch Village and continuing to work for local charities. Donations of food and money collected at their
special events are donated to local charities such as H.A.W.C. (Home for Abused Women and Children), the Salem Mission,
the Northeast Animal Shelter, My Brother's Table and The Pantry at the Unitarian Universalist Church.

The Witches'
League for Public Awareness invites you to visit their web site to learn
about this group founded in 1986 by Laurie
Cabot (who was given the complimentary title of "The Official Witch of
Salem, Mass." by former Gov. Michael Dukakis) as a "non-profit educational
network dedicated to correcting misinformation about Witches" **. More information
about the League's newsletter and activities can be obtained by sending e-mail
to the Witches'
League for Public Awareness, or writing to PO Box 8736, Salem, MA 01971-8736.

Words About The Word "Witch"

There are several definitions or connotations of the word "witch", and
it is important to understand the differences in usage when one visits Salem and
becomes acquainted with the Salem witch trials. The following is a very brief
explanatory note outlining the three most common uses of the word.

First, to understand the Salem witch trials,
it is necessary to know the 17th-century definition of witchcraft.
In England and New England at that time, it was believed that a malefic
witch had made a pact with the devil, the Christian embodiment of evil.
The pact would involve an exchange of a soul for special evil powers
with which other mortals could be tormented. Victims of witchcraft would
claim to see horrible visions, experience physical pain and exhibit
bizarre and troubling behavior. The supposed perpetrator, labeled a
witch, would be subject to arrest, trial, conviction and sentence. In
17th-century New England, under the English legal system,
a person convicted of witchcraft was hanged. The Court of Oyer and Terminer
convicted persons accused of witchcraft under the precedent of previous
executions in England and New England.

The word witch has another important definition.
Practitioners of the religion of Witchcraft or Wicca trace their beliefs
to pre-Christian times. Theirs is a nature-based religion which pays
homage to a Father God and Mother Goddess. They recognize no personification
of evil and disassociate themselves entirely from the 17th-century
definition of witchcraft.

Finally, the word witch conjures up another image
- the stereotypical crone with pointed black hat, wart on her nose,
flying with her black cat or familiar on a broom. This cartoon interpretation
of the word reaches far back into Western civilization and is reinforced
by movies such as "The Wizard of Oz". Scary/comic witch
and cat symbols are used throughout our culture, and the interpretation
is particulary prevalent at Halloween.

Clearly, it is important to understand that
the word "witch" is complex and powerful. Used as an accusation
of Satanic pact in the 17th century, it could result in death.
Used as a religious title, it indicates a follower of an ancient pagan
belief system, and lastly, used in the popular interpretation of the word,
it conveys a range of images from the humorous Broomhilda in the comics
to the dangerous and frightening "wicked Witch of the West"
in the movies. Each meaning of the word is distinct from the others and
needs to be used in its proper context.